Medicinal Plants Classification Biosynthesis and ... - Index of

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Gustavo J. Martínez, Mara Sato and Marta Ojeda
the native species that would be interesting to apply in primary health care. Finally, we
suggest practices regarding the conservation of these species taking into consideration
their distribution, ecology and botanical status.
Introduction
The health policies of Argentina are currently determined on the basis of ―biomedicine‖,
also known as ―scientific medicine‖, ―occidental medicine‖, ―academic medicine‖, ―medical
science‖ or ―official medicine‖; in other words, medical attention in hospitals, dispensaries,
private practises and health care centres, where illnesses are treated based on an individual
biological cause and therapies are characterised by their pragmatic efficiency (Comelles &
Hernáez, 1993). However, as in many other underdeveloped countries with a multicultural
tradition, a considerable part of the Argentine population resorts to ―traditional‖ or ―popular
medicine‖, with practices based on a deeply engrained system of beliefs and with an
extremely different point of view from the prevailing biomedical model or ―hegemonicmedical
model‖ (Menéndez, 1992a). In this sense, the World Health Organization (WHO)
has developed a strategy that contemplates any possible contributions from the traditional
medical system in reducing the mortality and morbidity, especially in low resource
communities (WHO 1978a,b; 2002). This strategy involves developing policies to integrate
traditional medicine with national health care systems; promoting strategic studies to ensure
its safety, efficiency and quality; increasing its availability and affordability, with an
emphasis on access for poor populations; and promoting its therapeutically sound use (WHO,
2002).
One of the most characteristic features of traditional medicine is the use of plants for
treating health problems. Herbal medicine has been an essential part of the health system in
many traditional societies. Nearly 80% of the world population resorts to traditional medicine
for treating their diseases, which is mainly based on the use of extracts and active substances
from medicinal plants; two-thirds of these plants come from underdeveloped countries
(Alonso, 1998; WHO, 1978a,b). In the declaration of Alma-Ata, WHO insists on the need to
reassess the use of plant pharmacopoeia in health care (WHO, 1978b). Apart from WHO,
other international organisms like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also emphasize on the
urgency and benefits of protecting these floral resources, as announced on different occasions
like the Chiang-Mai Declaration in Thailand or at the Biological Diversity Convention in
Indonesia (WHO, 1982; WHO, 1988; WHO-UICN-WF, 1993), especially regarding the
emerging environmental problems.
The directives on the conservation of medicinal plants indicate, among other aspects, the
need to ―obtain detailed information on the medicinal species of each region and also on the
indigenous communities that have known and used them in the past‖, as ―no measures of
protection have been established for most of the endangered medicinal plant species‖.
From an economical point of view, the medicinal flora of central Argentina is a valuable
and widely used resource. Almost 40 autochthonous species are used industrially, mainly in
plants processing ―yerba mate‖ (mate tea) compounds, pharmaceutical laboratories,
pharmacists, herbalists, health food shops, body care shops, cosmetology, aromatherapy and